Center Missouri Audit Reveals Misappropriations

An audit of Center, Missouri’s finances by State Auditor Nicole Galloway’s office results in a poor rating by the agency.

The audit was requested in July of last year by the city’s Board of Aldermen following a whistleblower complaint.

According to the audit, the former City Clerk of Center misappropriated more than three hundred thousand dollars between January 1, 2015 and July 3, 2019.

City funds were used to pay more than one hundred forty thousand dollars in personal credit card bills and sixty two thousand dollars for health insurance coverage after the Board voted to discontinue it in 2014.

The former clerk, Tracey Ray, hasn’t been criminally charged for financial crimes, however is facing four felony charges for a shooting that took place on July 2, 2019 that injured the Ralls County Sheriff and a deputy.